Dr. Jonathan Baker is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Western Michigan University. Prior to joining WMU, he was a faculty member in the behavior analysis and therapy program in the Rehabilitation Institute at Southern Illinois University, as well as the coordinator of the SIU gerontology certificate program.
He received a certificate in gerontology from the University of Kansas, a master’s in applied behavior science from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University.
Dr. Baker served as a member (2014-2019) and Vice President (2020) of the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. He is an Associate Editor at Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice. He has served as a guest reviewer for the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and The Gerontologist.
Dr. Baker is the former president of the Mid-American Association of Behavior Analysis and former chair of the Behavioral Gerontology Special Interest Group with ABAI.
He was the principal investigator for the Behavioral Residential In-home Care and Supports (BRICS) project evaluation for the Illinois Department of Aging and was a co-principal investigator for Behavior Analysis and Intervention in Nursing Homes, funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Baker’s main research interest is behavioral gerontology, including the assessment and treatment of behavioral excesses and developing programs that remediate behavioral deficits in older adults with neurocognitive disorders, as well as treatment adoption. His interests also extend to adults and older adults with developmental disabilities and staff training.